Bitcoin Heavyweights Push Back Against BIP-110 Despite Ordinals Slowdown

A controversial proposal known as BIP-110 has drawn sharp rebukes from two of Bitcoin's most influential figures. Michael Saylor, executive chairman of MicroStrategy, and Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, both voiced objections to the plan, which would implement a temporary fork of the Bitcoin blockchain. Their resistance adds significant weight to the opposition camp, given their outsized roles in Bitcoin's development and corporate adoption. The proposal is aimed at modifying how certain data, particularly from Ordinals inscriptions, is processed on the network. Ordinals, which allow users to embed data like images or text on individual satoshis, have sparked debate over Bitcoin's intended use as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Critics argue that the increased data load from Ordinals transactions clogs blocks and raises fees for ordinary transfers. However, the BIP-110 solution—a time-limited fork—is seen by Saylor and Back as too disruptive and potentially harmful to Bitcoin's stability and long-term consensus. The pushback persists despite a clear downturn in Ordinals-related activity. Transaction volumes linked to Ordinals have declined substantially from their peak levels in earlier years, suggesting that the network congestion concerns may be easing naturally. This drop in activity undermines the argument that urgent protocol changes are needed to protect user experience. For investors and businesses building on Bitcoin, the dispute highlights the ongoing tension between preserving the core network's simplicity and accommodating new use cases. The outcome could influence future development priorities and the regulatory or community-driven direction of the asset. Whether BIP-110 advances or stalls, the debate itself signals continued uncertainty around Bitcoin's protocol governance, a factor that can affect market sentiment.